A segment of a letter from my brother Michael, referring to the whole Spitzer-and-Appalachia flap. Remember that Dunkirk, where Michael works in Chautauqua County in the Southern Tier, literally falls within the federal definition of Appalachia. My brother, who spent many years working in factories himself, now teaches literacy skills to unemployed workers, many of them Latino:

" ... Actually, Ií m not sure if the Appalachia remark was the most politically astute thing that Spitzer has ever said, but I canít really disagree. Iím more concerned about Patakiís 'everything is just fine' response. Doing the work I do, I have to be aware of local statistics: over 60% of Chautauqua County students are eligible for free or reduced price lunches. Fifty percent of Dunkirkís population is at level one or two literacy, which means unable to perform normal daily literacy tasks. Seventeen percent of Dunkirk households speak a language other than English at home Ė and thatís probably underreported. Our biggest demand job is tourism, which means seasonal (and usually part-time) employment as waiters, bartenders, room cleaners, and clerks. The population keeps going down and the educated kids keep leaving. If being called Appalachia gets us some attention, Iíll go with it."